Soccer Aid 2006 was held between 22–27 May 2006, and broadcast in the UK on
ITV.
Event schedule • 22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by
Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out • 23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends (
Craven Cottage, London) • 24 May 2006 – Practice match: Rest of the World 3–7 Scotland Legends (
Craven Cottage, London) • 25 May 2006 – Rest of the World defeats England in a Football Quiz • 26 May 2006 – Coaches name starting line-ups for the match • 27 May 2006 – Soccer Aid Match: England 2–1 Rest of the World (
Old Trafford,
Manchester), attendance 71,960 The practice matches were played over 60 minutes, with the Soccer Aid match played over 90 minutes. The competition was organised on behalf of UNICEF UK with profits from the matches, along with donations and sponsorship, donated to UNICEF programs in Africa, Asia and the Americas. England beat the Rest of the World 2–1. Goals from
Les Ferdinand and
Jonathan Wilkes put England into a two-goal lead but a handball inside the area from
David Gray resulted in a penalty, converted by
Diego Maradona. Wilkes won the Man of the Match award.
England squad The England squad was managed by former
England national football team manager
Terry Venables, assisted by
David Geddis and
Ted Buxton. The original squad comprised 16 players, with Bryan Robson added later. A handful of the players, notably
Angus Deayton, had previous celebrity international experience from the previous month's
England v Germany: The Legends match in
Reading, which Germany won 4–2. The England squad went into the match with no major injury worries. Their victory over a squad of ex-England internationals from the 1960s to 1990s on Tuesday morning was tempered with defeats to the Rest of the World in a
penalty shootout and football quiz.
Celebrities •
Robbie Williams (captain) •
David Gray •
Jamie Theakston •
Bradley Walsh •
Jonathan Wilkes •
Ben Shephard •
Ronnie O'Sullivan •
Damian Lewis •
Angus Deayton •
Dean Lennox Kelly Legends •
David Seaman •
Tony Adams •
Paul Gascoigne •
Jamie Redknapp •
Les Ferdinand •
John Barnes •
Bryan Robson •
Graeme Le Saux Coaching Staff • Manager:
Terry Venables • Assistant manager:
David Geddis • Coach:
Ted Buxton Rest of the World squad The Rest of the World squad was managed by
Ruud Gullit, with
Gus Poyet as his assistant. Captain
Gordon Ramsay injured his leg in the early training sessions and was considered doubtful for the match. The original squad of 16 players, which later saw 2 changes, was supplemented by the addition of Diego Maradona during the build-up to the competition.
Lothar Matthäus had appeared in the England v Germany: The Legends match the previous month. The Rest of the World squad was wracked by injuries and withdrawals, and suffered from a lack of players. Desailly, Matthäus, Schmeichel and Ginola all arrived with only 2 or 3 days to spare before the match; Ginola arrived during half time of their warm-up defeat to the Scotland Legends on Wednesday afternoon, and
Diego Maradona only joined the squad on the day before the match. Also,
Craig Doyle and
Brian McFadden went into the match carrying knocks, which led to management members
Ruud Gullit and
Gus Poyet coming on as substitutes on Wednesday and in the match itself.
Celebrities •
Gordon Ramsay (captain) •
David Campese •
Patrick Kielty •
Eddie Irvine (withdrew and was replaced by
Gareth Thomas) •
Gareth Thomas (replacement for
Eddie Irvine) •
Ben Johnson •
Sergei Fedorov •
Brian McFadden •
Alastair Campbell •
Craig Doyle •
Alessandro Nivola •
Michael Greco Legends •
Gianfranco Zola •
Marcel Desailly •
David Ginola •
Dunga •
Lothar Matthäus •
Peter Schmeichel •
Diego Maradona Coaching Staff • Player/Manager:
Ruud Gullit • Player/Assistant Manager:
Gus Poyet Other notable participants The match was refereed by
Pierluigi Collina, the Italian
referee considered by many fans as the best referee of all time.
The match ==Soccer Aid 2008==